Today marks the transition between the blissful low 80s of the last few days and the sizzling hot temperatures to come. If there's any consolation, humidity levels -- at least in the near term -- shouldn't be oppressive. But the lack of humidity means little to no chance of rain -- which we really do need.

Today (Saturday): It's a great day to kickoff the holiday weekend. Temps start off enjoyably cool in the 60s before warming through the 70s and well into the 80s by afternoon -- perfect for hanging out by the pool (wear sunscreen!). Humidity levels remain relatively low, with dew points in the 50s. We'll have little to no wind under mostly sunny skies. Confidence: Medium-High

Tonight: Under clear skies and with dry air holding in place, temperatures fall back into the 60s in most spots, with some upper 50s in the cooler suburbs. Confidence: High

Keep reading for the forecast into early next week...

Tomorrow (Sunday, July 4): Rather intense heat is in the cards on Independence Day. With abundant sunshine, temperatures climb into the mid-90s without little breeze. Definitely heed heat safety tips if spending significant chunks of time outside. Confidence: Medium-High

Tomorrow Night: A mild evening, but suburban temperatures should still fall back into 60s thanks to relatively dry air. Urban locations, on the other hand, probably don't fall below 70. Confidence: Medium-High

A LOOK AHEAD

Extreme heat settles in for both Monday and Tuesday. Each day, highs head up close to the century mark, under partly to mostly sunny skies. The humidity will creep up but should remain below oppressive levels. Lows overnight should be in the mainly in the 70s. Confidence: Medium-Hgih

@kathyb39 Not really needed...it will probably hit on Friday evening the 9th when I'm trying to get to the Elks Lodge...though the extended frontal charts seem to be showing a trough line near us from July 5th or 6th through the rest of the week...meaning that, if the humidity rises and the cap weakens, we could be seeing some late-day airmass thunderstorm action most of next week.

Speak for yourself Bombo47jea! We're much in need of rain in my neighborhood. A lot of the rain we've had in the last month was of the hit or miss variety and if you're in certain areas, you generally are in the "miss" area. In Annandale the storms have passed to the south of us and to the north of us, the ground is now rock hard.

ennepe68...if we set records this summer, it won't be because of so-called global "warming". It will be because of a prolonged long-wave rigding in the East.

And, even with the unpleasant June we had this year, this summer, so far, has been nothing like the summer of 1988. That was like a blast furnace all summer long. Dulles, I remember, went over 100 a number of times, and one day hit an official 104. 1980 was also a b**ch. I can remember 103 degrees that year, in early September, with a dewpoint of 80.

According to NASA, the last 12 months (through May) show the hottest 12 month average global temperature in the record. It was also the hottest April on record, and the hottest March. These are measures of global average temperatures. That "prolonged long-wave rigding in the East" is sure doing a lot of damage!

And a month without rain is nothing unusual! These things happen all the time! Why, back in 2007...

According to NASA, the last 12 months (through May) show the hottest 12 month average global temperature in the record. It was also the hottest April on record, and the hottest March. These are measures of global average temperatures. That "prolonged long-wave rigding in the East" is sure doing a lot of damage!

And a month without rain is nothing unusual! These things happen all the time! Why, back in 2007...